


The Clockmaker's Son

by Jellalipop



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Layla Heartfilia is mentioned, Loss of Parent(s), Nalu - Freeform, Parent Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 14:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16914849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellalipop/pseuds/Jellalipop
Summary: Natsu is the opposite of a fixer... His destructive hands couldn't be trusted to hold such delicate parts of a clock and carefully put them together, like his father has been doing for so many years. And now that his father is gone, the business has been left to him. Fortunately, a childhood friend, Lucy, comes in at Natsu's lowest moments of business and picks the clockmaker's son up onto his feet to help him in his business. And he learns to be gentile with the things that mean something special to him. His father's clock shop... And of course his best friend with the golden blonde hair.





	The Clockmaker's Son

**Author's Note:**

> This one shot was a favorite of my readers on Wattpad... and I actually used it for a portfolio I needed to put together last year for a college I was admitting to... of course changing the names in the process so that they couldn't see how much of a loser I am. I was accepted to that school but I didn't end up going there lol.

_"Dad! Dad! Look what I made!" A young boy giggled as he raced into his father's workshop, nearly tripping on every clock he passed by._

_The older man smiled at his child's voice and bent down to take his son's creation. It was a rather poorly made... Thing. The man, Igneel, honestly didn't know what he was even holding._

_"I made it out of the spare clock parts, from the projects you threw away!" The boy, Natsu, grinned. He hopped up and down on his heels anxiously. "Guess what it is."_

_Igneel smiled nervously and glances down at the strange object in his hand before returning his gaze to the pink haired boy. "It's a uhhh... A rock."_

_Natsu pouted and stomped his foot onto the ground. "No!" He huffed and took the thing back out of his father's hands. "It's a dragon!"_

_"Is it?" Igneel rubbed his jaw, a smirk appearing on his face. "I see... The only reason I didn't get it was because it's missing something then."_

_"Missing something?" Natsu blinked, holding the dragon up to eye level. "But..."_

_"Every living thing needs a heart. This little dragon has big plans, I can tell. The only way for him to accomplish them is if he has the heart to do it." Igneel said softly as he took a heart shaped shaped decoration, that he was going to use for his clock, and put it on the dragon's chest, locking it in place._

_Natsu smiled at the heart before placing it on his father's desk and climbing up onto his lap with a childish giggle. "Then now he can inspire us.... Right? He'll be right here."_

_Igneel chuckled and supported Natsu on his knee. "Yes. He will be our personal guardian. Our little salamander."_

_Natsu wrapped his short arms around his father's torso, not yet being able to reach all the way around so that his hands would touch. "Forever and ever."_

**\---**

Thunder boomed outside as an older Natsu locked the shop door behind him. He wore an expressionless face as he just stood there with the key still in the key hole, watching as rain rolled down the window, casting tear like shadows on his face.

After a good few minutes, he slowly withdrew his key and put them in his back pocket.

The clocks all around him clicked together, not all of them in sync. It used to be a comforting sound but now it was just solemn.

Quietly, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt, walking down the rows of clocks to his father's workshop.

With a sigh, he dropped down into the seat and leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. It was silent, even with all the clocks clicking, rain pouring, and thunder booming all around him.

"Dad..." He mumbled, wishing Igneel would come into the room smiling... But the room was still dark and empty with his absence.

Natsu lifted his head and spotted his dragon, salamander, sitting by its lonesome at the corner of the table. Taking it in his hands, he rubbed his thumb against its heart, which was now faded and slightly rusted from being touched constantly. A small smile crept into his lips for a second before a tear and a sudden sob had escaped.

He held the dragon close to his heart and leaned his forehead against the table, crying to himself. Something he rarely did.

"Natsu?" A voice said out of nowhere. The pinkette flinched and quickly sat up straight, wiping the tears from his face though it was too late... His childhood friend, Lucy, had already seen him.

He cursed and looked down at the dragon in his hand before placing it in its original spot. "Sorry I..... Sorry."

Lucy frowned and hesitantly walked over, handing him her handkerchief.

He blew his nose before glancing over at her. "Why are you here?"

"You remember giving me a spare key? I just wanted to check up on you. You disappeared from the funeral before I could catch you." She said softly, pulling over a stool to sit beside him. It was the stool he sat in beside his father when he was a child.

Natsu looked at the design in the handkerchief with a small smile. "Yeah... I just needed some time to myself. You're welcome to be alone with me if you'd like."

She smiled sadly before making herself comfortable. "So... The clockshop..."

Natsu looked around at all of Igneel's unfinished works with slouched shoulders. "Not many people buy clocks like these anymore." He mumbled. "But I don't want to leave my dad's dream alone. This was our little place. But... I'm not really a very gentile guy... I break almost everything I touch."

Lucy nodded in understanding. She used to come here all the time with her mother. That's how she and Natsu met, so of course she would hold a deep spot for the shop.

"I don't know what to do Lucy..." Natsu hissed to himself and leaned forward on his elbows. "I can't do anything like my father... He was perfect at everything and I'm just... I'm just me."

Lucy sighed softly and moved his hands away from his hair that was currently tangled in his fingers. "I'll help you. We can think of something together."

"But..." Natsu sniffed, not noticing the tear rolling down his cheek. "You have better things to do."

The blonde girl only smiled and brought him over into a hug, patting his pink hair gently. "I told you when we were little. We'll always be together."

Natsu hesitantly nodded and wrapped his arms around her as well in a tight embrace, pulling her off his stool and onto his lap. "I'm glad."

**\---**

"Lucy!" Natsu called as he made his way down the stairs that connected the shop to his apartment. "Lucy?! I need help with cleaning up!"

Lucy came rushing over to him, seeming to be almost out of breath. "One step ahead of you!"

Natsu blinked and pinched his nose shut before he could sneeze because of the dust that puffed off of her hair every time she moved. "What?"

"I dusted the workshop and the store and I cleaned every clock, especially their faces and—and—" she beamed, dragging him over into the front of the store. "I'm painting the open sign. Remember? The one we worked on as children?"

Natsu stared down at the sign with a nostalgic twinkle in his eyes. For a moment, a grin started to form on his lips, though he quickly turned away. "I told you already. We aren't going to end up selling much with just clocks, not even with a sale. This is useless."

Lucy's smile fades for a second before pulling Natsu's shoulder so he would face her. "There you go again with your doubting. Everyone loves your father's store, and they'll love it even more now that is yours."

"Sure maybe old people would like it." Natsu scowled. "None of this appeals to young adults, and they take up most of this population!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at his tone, pinching his cheeks and pulling them outwards, something she did as a kid whenever he annoyed her. "Then add more things to the store. Different mechanical knick knacks."

Natsu frowned and pulled her hands away. "No. That defeats the purpose of this place."

The girl sighed and dropped her arms to her side. "Then what do you want me to do? I'm trying my best to help you... You don't even seem thankful. In fact... You've completely changed, Natsu."

He stared at her carefully.

"What happened to your smile... That always seemed like the reason I kept coming back here but now that I spend every single hour here... I feel like somethings off... It's so..." Lucy paused as she looked around at the darkly lit shop, the clocks seemed to be frowning with her. "Unfamiliar..."

Natsu bit his lip, glancing out the window, watching a couple of teenagers pass by with their phones in the faces... Digital clocks right their in front of them. They have no need for these huge creations when they have something like that with so many uses.

Lucy analyzed the far away look in his eyes, wishing she could do something. "Please Natsu... I miss you." She whimpered, placing her hand on his cheek to catch his attention. He stood still as he allowed her to place a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. After a moment of silence she looked down sadly, hesitantly turning towards the door.

Natsu started to reach his hand out to touch her's, but he froze and pulled away, shamefully walking back to the stairs to lock himself up in his room.

**\---**

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the shop... Glaring at the dull lights and bland atmosphere. Natsu had left to be alone an hour ago. It hurt her feelings that he just up and left, but she felt that blaming him wouldn't be right.

She made her way into the workshop, looking at all the unfinished clocks with concentration. A single clock sat on the table. It had always been there, for Natsu had made it himself for his father. Igneel, being very proud of his son, kept it and even gave the young Natsu money for it as a way of teaching him business.

It was a small clock and kind of poorly made, but it did however work like any other clock. As a little girl, whenever she visited her best friend, he would show it off every time he had the chance. Back then, she was annoyed from the constant boasting and would pinch and stretch the boy's cheeks whenever he did, but now it brought a smile onto her lips and an idea to pop into her head.

Quickly, she glanced up the stairs to make sure Natsu wasn't stirring about before gathering up some materials. After a few minutes of studying the clocks, (as well as all the years she witnessed Igneel make one), she started to make them based off of Natsu's small creation.

After she created her piece, which took longer than she expected, she placed it by the window proudly.

Next she returned to the workshop and put all her scraps into a pile. A grin appeared on her face again as she began to make a bunch of versions of Natsu's other creation. The dragon.

She giggled to herself as she placed a couple by the window and placed the rest in their own little section.

"Just you wait Natsu... I'll make this place brighter than it has ever been. Including your smile..." She vowed as she began to add new lights. And soon enough the place wasn't so gloomy anymore.

She smiled to herself and grabbed her jacket. "I'll see you in the morning, Natsu." She whispered before turning the lights off and exiting the shop to her go to her apartment.

**\---**

"Hm?" Natsu hummed and rubbed his eyes as he awoke from his slumber. Noise was coming from downstairs... Almost like a bunch of laughing and talking. He furrowed his eyebrows and quickly got changed before slowly make his way down to the store.

His breath immediately hitched as he was welcomed by a cheerful and bright atmosphere. Children giggled happily as the played with small dragons that resembled his salamander. Their parents seemed more interested in the clocks, especially one that sat by the window that looked rather familiar.

"A wonderful grand re-opening, huh?" A voice said beside him. "They love the designs of your clocks and the toy dragons for the kids. I guess it grabbed their attention and they just started pooling in. Sold ten clocks already."

Natsu looked down at the girl, Lucy, with eyes that started to water. "You..."

He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. He looked to see some teenagers, including the ones he saw walk by earlier, ecstatic to look around.

"Lucy... How did this happen?" He breathed as he kept looking around. "It's just like back then it's..."

Lucy smiled and lifted his salamander up in between their chests. She had kept it behind her back the whole time. "Hope."

Natsu took the dragon from her hands rubbing the heart on its chest. He took a shaky breath before allowing a smile to appear on his face. Lucy giggled in return and placed her hands on the dragon as well.

"Thank you." He whispered, his smile completing the room. "Thank you so much."

Lucy nodded and went to say something but was then interrupted by a kiss being placed on her lips. After a moment of shock, she lifted one of her hands and cupped his cheek as she returned the kiss. "Welcome back, Natsu."

His smile broadened and put his dragon back onto the workshop table before wrapping his arms around her waist, now able to touch his own hands, and spun her around as she giggled. "Tell me, Lucy?" He chuckled and leaned his head against hers. "Will you be my partner. For business and for hope and love? Forever and ever?"

Lucy grinned and nodded, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. "Forever and ever."  
  


** End **

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Leave a Kudos and a Comment to make my cats happy.


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